Poll

Opinion

Two years ago, I got a call from my friend Mark Obmascik. Mark, a former Denver Post reporter turned author, was working on a new book, and he needed help.

His previous book, called “The Big Year,” was about hard-core birders who tried to accumulate as many species sightings as they could in 365 days. It was quirky and entertaining, and compelling enough to get me into birding myself.

Native America is not immune to modern troubles, although the advent of gaming might indicate otherwise to some. Will President Obama create the kind of change desired by the American Indian Movement? It seems he is poised to please.

That statement has been uttered by many who are trying to get someone within earshot to try harder during tough times. It probably hasn’t worked all that well, but it is a memorable phrase. The truth is that during tough times businesses often do need to get going … to new tactics.

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. SB 228 certainly proves that adage in Colorado. When Gov. Bill Ritter signed the bill last week, he characterized the bill as taking a big step toward modernizing Colorado’s state budget. At the same time, Josh Penry, the Senate minority leader and a possible challenger to Ritter in next year’s governor’s race, called the bill “California-style taxing and spending.”

Greg Romberg, in his opinion article in the May 27 Canyon Courier, is correct, and I appreciate his advice and cautions. Members of the Evergreen Fire Protection District board are continually reminded by our district counsel of the very narrow reasons we can go into executive session. Since it appears as if my comments were not clearly vocalized, I will try again.

There was a time when you could market a product based on its inherent value. Lately, low price has become the predominant criteria in the marketplace. The world’s largest corporation, Walmart, shares mightily in the creation of that business ethic. The company is even benefiting during these tough economic times as it draws people in with low prices, while many say it’s Walmart that created the difficulties in the first place.

“Stop, In the Name of Love” Oops. Wrong Supremes. Stop? If you think it oh-oh-ver, isn’t this what winning the presidential election is all about? With the largest number of votes ever, President Obama has earned the privilege of nominating a Supreme Court justice.

The 2009 legislative session ended May 6. As a freshman member of the House, several people have asked me what I thought of the session. In truth, I feel a bit like Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz” after spinning around in the tornado and finally being dropped back into Kansas. The good news is that I live in Colorado, not Kansas. The bad news is many of the changes this legislative session will bring for the people of Colorado.

I didn’t watch much television as a kid, but I was a big fan of “Sesame Street.” When “Street” came on at 4 o’clock, I’d hold my breath waiting for Ernie and Bert. Then, at about age 5, I turned on the TV, and who should grace the screen but William Shatner, in all his over-the-top glory, starring as Captain Kirk. From that moment on, “Sesame Street” was a thing of the past.

Wanting to maintain a strong local identity in our kids’ soccer programs is admirable but quaint and unrealistic. The Stingers does a fine job of coaching and training up until the age of 12, but it desperately needs to merge with a bigger club with greater resources to produce more of the potentially outstanding players who will move on to Evergreen High, Mullen, Colorado Academy or Conifer varsity teams.

A friend recently shared that her grandfather was a union member, and then she said something that really struck me: “That was back when unions were a good thing.” Her comment speaks to the success of management in its long-lived campaign to create a negative image for unions.

Journalists are captivated by anniversaries, and that’s one of our biggest failings. The tendency, after an arbitrary number of years, is to find morals and endings, to tie up the loose strings of a tragedy and pronounce the community ready to move on.

Have you ever noticed how every year is the most amazing something in people’s memories? We’ve never had a drier winter. We’ve never had a hotter summer. That’s the best team we’ve ever had. I’ve never seen someone behave so badly. It’s usually not true. Time has a tendency of evening things out.

The article in the Canyon and Columbine couriers on April 22 may have given the impression that Jefferson County’s social services fund would leave the Head Start program short $650,000 and in violation of federal law.

At the state level, next year’s elections may shape up to be a referendum on government spending. And the most obvious change in direction could come in the governor’s race, where this issue has become a significant point of difference between Gov. Ritter and his critics.

I loved Kelly’s passionate plea for schools in her Columbine column. It’s ironic and predictably perfect that she would follow it up by advocating for a $300 million cut in higher education this week. Education is the single most important force in creating the kind of citizenry that America needs. An indication that you value schools would be a willingness to pay for them, as our state surely must.

When I see parents waiting at a bus stop, I can remember the multitude of feelings I had when my child came home from school on the day of the Columbine shootings. The illusion of schools as safe havens was irrevocably shattered, as were so many lives. We are all Columbine.

Last week, my former colleagues in the state House passed a bill that would make it illegal to drive while talking on a cell phone, unless you’re using a hands-free device. By the looks of it, the ban will pass the Senate and be signed by the governor.

At first glance, this seems a reasonable law. But it’s also totally redundant. In fact, under current law, a person who causes an accident while talking on a cell phone can be prosecuted under no fewer than four criminal statutes.